The back entrance to Paradise.
Gift Bag
This is what I received in mine. Click to enlarge. Yes, Oliver is officially the "paw model," and I do believe he may have a bright future here in Los Angeles!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
16 comments:
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Ack!! I hope get that burgundy/green bag and not the yellow/navy! Is that the color of all the bags? Looks awesome as usual! I wish I had time to get to NYC in person...
ReplyDeleteHi Nina, Those were the only two choices that I saw at Barneys yesterday. I did notice that some of the samples were smaller than February, and I only received one full size product-- the Sue Devitt Eye liner crayon-- that Oliver moved without my knowing it (hence why it doesn't appear in the picture). I hope that you are really happy with your purchases!! Keep me posted! Oh yes, time.... Amazing how little we have in day to just do whatever we want!! ;D
DeleteThis was my first time participating in the Beauty event-- I used the opportunity to try some of the Sunday Riley line-- and while I was very excited about the bag, I'm slightly dismayed that it's not quite as fabulous as February's seemed to be :) I was hoping for a full-size gloss! Oh well, I can't really turn up my nose at freebies.
ReplyDeleteHi Maya,
DeleteWhile this bag didn't have as many full-size products as the February bag-- I still thought that it included lots of very lovely products. I hope that you are happy with your SR purchases! :-)
I didn't get any full size products but tr sue devitt liner...did I get jipped or is that the only one it came with?? Should I call?
ReplyDeleteHi Katie!
DeleteThe Sue Devitt liner is the only full sized product that I saw in the bag display at Barneys in Beverly Hills, and the only one that I received in my bag. The contents of some of the bags seem to vary a bit- so some people end up with slightly different items. For instance I accidentally ended up with two packets of the YSL serum, and I'm sure that I accidentally didn't get something else. I have compared bags with friends in the past and there have been definite variations-- this is just what happens. I think that this bag is only raising eyebrows people because it clearly differs from the bag in February. I think most people are only ending up with one full size product and then a selection of samples this time around-- so I wouldn't call if it were me. :-)
Oh okay! I was pretty bummed out...I was expecting more from the bag event :\ But something's better than nothing I guess!
DeleteI totally hear you!!! I definitely thought that it was going to be along the same lines as the last bag-- which is precisely why so many people are bummed out. I think that when people have the legendary Barneys bag in mind- this wasn't what they envisioned. I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!! Enjoy the lovely new things that you bought!!
DeleteOliver is a sneaky fellow, isn't he? :)
ReplyDeleteIs the black and gold tube a mini mascara? I've concluded that sample mascaras may be the way to go for me from now on. I've never finished a tube before the 3- or 4-month mark. I'd be awesome if companies started selling mascara refills so I could at least reuse the brush! Anyway...
Yes, indeed he is!! It was a real struggle to get that shot because he kept rearranging things!
DeleteYes, the black and gold tube is a mini mascara. I actually came to that very same conclusion a while ago. I find spending a lot of money on mascaras to be rather wasteful- for me for the very same reasons you expressed! Additionally we aren't supposed to really be using the same one for very long-- so it doesn't end up being terribly economical to buy luxury brand mascaras when you really do the math. ...or if they started selling deluxe sample sizes that lasted about 3 months-- then you toss it without feeling guilty or wasteful!! Any fun plans this weekend? <3
I'm glad to see that I wasn't the only person disappointed with this years bag. Now, I understand they DON'T have to give anything with a purchase; this is just a extra "perk". However, please allow to just say this:
ReplyDeleteNone of my "lines" offered a step-up gift. I'm finding that each year, a few more stop doing that. In addition, I used to wait for this event to purchase my skincare (where one item retails for $400.. I tend to save up in anticipation). At the same time the Barneys event is going on (give or take 2 weeks), I could have purchase the SAME items at other online retailers for 20% off AND received a few samples. Other than the Sue Devitt eyeliner, I have a cupfull of sachets, vials and tiny tubes; most of which I have already received simply by asking for a few when shopping. Did anyone notice that quite a few items are repeats from the last bag? Honestly, there was nothing new for me to try in this one. So, I can pay full retail and receive a bag (just like last years) filled with tiny try-me samples which I get anyway when I shop OR purchase the same items for 20%, free shipping (no minimum purchase amount) and receive 3 or more free samples from an online vendor. Hmmm..... let me see.... which should I choose...
Sephora Friends and Family will be here in a month or so. Quite a few of the brands sold at Barneys are now at Sephora. 20%... guess where my money will be spent next month?
ANd that's the point, you know; we the consumer have choices. I've watched Saks and NM slowly dwindle down their Beauty Bags to nothing but a joke (and yes, I've heard SA's laugh saying "can you believe this is what they get for spending $250 or more?!" Another reason why I took my wallet and went somewhere else.
In my world, if I NEED to replenish something, I buy it when I need it. I now time those purchases to when there is a sale or event. If a merchant wants my money, they need to give me a reason why I should spend it at there store. I hope they get the feedback that this event was not what many of us expected.
Just my opinion; for what it's worth : )
Hi 3nDiva,
DeleteI think that you have succinctly and lucidly summed up what so many people are feeling!! I wonder if these new trends that you have clearly identified are a sign of a down-turned economy, and that these companies are trying to curb expenses by either not giving step-up gifts, or by making the gifts that they do give smaller in size (whether step-ups or in the gift bag itself). If that is the case, then one has to wonder why given that we are talking about luxury brands with equally luxurious price tags. You couldn't be more right, that as consumers-- particularly those spending a tremendous amount of money on luxury products will go where the price and perks are better. You are also quite right that consumers have choices, and increasingly more so for luxury niche brands with all of the online retailers selling them, so it certainly behooves retailers to put their best foot forward to sufficiently woo us to gain our continued patronage.
Your point about Sephora's F&F, as well as places like BeautyHabit, Zuneta, Dermstore etc. offer so many perks, discounts, and often free shipping- that they will certainly gain a greater market share if luxury retail stores continue to make their beauty bags less luxurious with fewer and smaller offerings. I think that you have pinpointed a new and growing trend that is emerging as a backlash to this phenomenon-- the savvy consumer is buying the same luxury products elsewhere for a better price and often with substantial perks.
I also think that you are not alone in timing your repurchases with sales and events, and that merchants need to give consumers a good reason why the purchases should be made through them versus through someone else.
Thanks for taking the time to express how you felt, and to give voice to the reactions of so many other people.
I, myself, was quite happy with my overall experience at the event because some of my lines had really lovely step-up gifts, and I was loaded down with scores of samples from very generous SA. However, there is no question that this gift bag lacked the unmitigated KA-POW factor of the February Bag.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend! <3
Hmmm...interesting. While I agree with both of your comments in theory, where I live and in NYC, I find that the SAs are not very generous with samples and the best way to try new products is through events like this. I thought last September's Barneys bag was fantastic but February's did not have as many items that appealed to me. I completely agree with both of you regarding Neiman's and Saks "events" which are a total waste. And did you see the current Bergdorf event? $75 off of $500? No special goodie bag and the gwps were the same as Neimans? Are they kidding? A few years ago, Sephora had an offer card in some magazine (Lucky or Allure?) and when you brought it to the store you received a bag of 10-15 deluxe size samples for free. I wound up purchasing almost all those products in full sizes over the year - it was a great offer, and they never did it again! I don't understand why the stores are so stingy with samples!
ReplyDeleteWell, that added bit of information really does change the situation entirely! That it is worth it is really predicated on the idea that the SAs tend to be generous with samples during the bag events. If this isn't the case and there are no step up gifts for the lines that one patronizes, and the gift bag itself is found to be disappointing-- then this is hardly going to be deemed a fantastic event!! I did see the Bergdorf offering, but it would have been nice if there had been a gift bag s well. Saks and Neiman's really seem to have shifted their GWP to a far less impressive variety as well. I never saw the Sephora deluxe sample set that you received-- I wish I had!!! It does seem as though these companies have made the choice to shift away from luxury gift bags and gifts with purchase-- which is such a shame. Hopefully they will come to realize that for so many of us that it is their GWP generosity that made so many of us willing to part with ridiculous sums of money on products that we might otherwise not have purchased (or at least would have spaced out our purchases throughout the year). I honestly don't know if it is the retailers, or the brands themselves, or perhaps a combination. Certainly producing samples is an expensive venture, and perhaps some makeup companies (without the economic power of Lauder and L'Oreal, for instance) don't have a wide enough profit margin to maintain high volumes of samples-- but the bottom line is that the consumer is definitely aware of this recent shift. I don't know if this is a sign of the times, but it definitely is a bummer!
DeleteYou're not kidding about being stingy! It gets frustrating because they keep upping the min. purchase amount and the full sizes disappear, you seem to receive plenty of those "use once envelopes" and everything's a cream or skin care product. No color products! And THAT'S where the fun is! I've also noticed lately with Barney's that while comparing three separate giveaway bags given out, all three are completely different and missing key pieces. I truly feel like employees or shipping have been deciding what they like or what their favorite customers wanted two of!! I'm not appreciating spending so and buying during every single giveaway for YEARS, only to feel a bit of a bait switch going on! Instead of getting "rewarded" for being a loyal customer, I feel like I'm being penalized. Not nice! And the past two giveaways they never even notified me!! I was so mad! I completely needed (and still do need) products and I'm COMPLETELY being ignored. Very frustrating! I just went on tonight to see when the next one was available because I'm so low on product and it's over! Again! C'mon, Barney's! Clean up your act!
ReplyDeleteOne rather angry customer!!! (who still needs things!!)
Oh, and one other thing... When I don't go in I constantly get the wrong product. When I addressed it, I was told "i should really be using these products and felt bullied into buying it! And it's STILL sitting on my furniture, unused, the years later. Grrr. That makes me so mad! And the COUNTLESS refills I've requested only to get the new kit, which cost around 20-30 more per product, making my total over $100 more each purchase! That infuriates me!! And when I say something, I'm told, "Oh, I'm sorry, we're out of the refills". And that's why you ignored my request and assumed to send me the more expensive, unnecessary product. The way I see it, I've overpaid between these two sales tactics approximately $500 more over the past five years!! That's not right!! Shame on you Barney's!
Hi Unknown! I didn't feel as though Barneys was stingy-- I just didn't think that the most recent bag itself was over-the-top spectacular the way that their other bags have been.
DeleteI do hear your frustration though, and it certainly doesn't help that your SA didn't get in touch with you ahead of time. I do think that it makes a big difference going to the store in person whenever possible. That way you can be assured that you get exactly what you want, and in my experience they are very generous with additional samples during the events. My suggestion is to select a single SA that you work with every single time you purchase anything there-- that way you can forge a relationship with them, and they will take great care of you. Then you won't have to experience the frustrations that you have in the past. ;)